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Beyond the Forecast

July 31 in Houston

Weather forecasts run out after about two weeks. For any date further out than that, the honest answer isn't a single number — it's the range Houston actually delivers on this date, and how often.

On July 31, Houston, TX typically reaches 95°F, but has run anywhere from 90°F to 99°F in eight years out of ten. About 74% of July 31s see no measurable precipitation.

Daytime high95°F
90°F8 years in 10 land in here99°F
Overnight low78°F
76°F8 years in 10 land in here80°F

The odds on July 31

74%
Dry day
No measurable precipitation
84%
90°F or hotter
Daytime high

Odds computed from the last 30 years (19962025).

This date is moving

Highs around July 31 have warmed about 0.6°F per decade since 1970 — roughly 3.5°F across the record. The figures above are shifted along that trend to 2025, so they describe today's climate rather than the average of the last 55 years.

Where this comes from: 839 daily observations from HOUSTON WILLIAM P HOBBY AP, covering 19702025. We pool every day within 7 days of July 31 — a single calendar date has only about 55 readings, far too few to place a 10th percentile you'd want to trust.

Why it's not a plain average: A climatology computed straight across 19702025 describes the middle of that period, not today, so as a statement about the present it runs cold. We fit a trend on year and shift each observation to 2025 before taking the range. The probabilities use the last 30 years instead — shifting a temperature along a trend is well defined, shifting “did it rain” is not.

What this is not: Not a forecast. It is what Houston, TX has actually done on this date, which is the only defensible answer once you're past the two-week horizon where real forecasts stop. Data: NOAA NCEI GHCN-Daily.

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